Russia Retaliates for U.S. law, Bans Adoptions

ATLANTA, GA----The Russians are striking back at the United States tonight, by banning the adoption of Russian children by American families.

It's a move in retaliation for a new U.S. law that puts travel and financial clamps on Russians who abuse human rights.

For hundreds of families the new law could be devastating.

Six years ago, Ann and Kurt Suhs traveled 3 times to Russia and went through the arduous process involved in adopting their son Ben, who is now thriving in the family's Johns Creek home.

In February the Suhs' started the adoption process again, but now they fear everything could be at a standstill.

"At this point our paperwork is in Russia and it has been registered over there. We now we are in what is called 'the wait.' Waiting to be invited over to travel to meet with the child. But with this new development it could come to a screeching halt," Ann Suhs said.

So what's next?

Not even international adoption experts like Anna Belle Illien of Atlanta based Illien Adoptions International know for sure.

"We don't know yet," she said.

"What has not been decided or announced yet by Russia is how they are going to handle the pipeline cases," she added.

"Right now we are just going to keep hoping that things work out," she added.

But if they don't and the new Russian law sticks, Plan B could be thinking worldwide.

"We don't think borders, we think families. We think parents who are qualified and children who need a family. It doesn't matter where the child is and to the parents who adopt internationally, borders don't matter either. We are dealing here with politics," Illien said.

And as we've seen with this ban on Russian adoptions, sometimes politics can interfere with the lives of children.

"Each one of these children deserves a set of parents or even one parent. Someone to love them and dote on them and plan for their futures," Ann Suhs said.

An opportunity cut short for thousands of youngsters who, for now, will remain in Russian institutions.